i heart faces - 'Got to Wear Shades'

It is no secret that my little man LOVES to dress up. It is also no secret that he often comes up with some purdy interesting (to say the least) get-ups! And this time, he did NOT disappoint! The other day I was outside watering my flowers when out from the house emerged this...Yes, my dear little Grant decided a hot summer day was the perfect time to dress up in his cowboy gear - Cowboy boots, a Dodge Ram bandanna tied around his neck, jean (shorts) with a belt of course, his sister's red cowgirl errr, cowboy hat, play pistol in hand and of course, don't forget a pair of shades to top the ensemble off! Hey, whatever floats his boat, I guess!
Make sure to head on over to iheartfaces by clicking on the button below to check out all of the other 'Got to Wear Shades' entries!!!

Munsinger Clemens Gardens

I moved to the St. Cloud area nearly 14 years ago to attend college at St. Cloud State University. The very university that is located directly across the Mississippi River from the beautiful Munsinger Clemens Gardens.

And can you believe that it has taken me nearly 14 years to take the time to actually walk through these gorgeous gardens?
My ulterior motive was to get some frame-able pictures of this little rug-rat...
As well as this little pip squeak...
I'm not completely happy with the pictures that I ended up getting of the kids but I did get a TON of awesome flower pictures.
Another reason I wanted to scope out the gardens is because this is also where I did the photo shoot of these adorable little girls.
My kiddos did enjoy exploring the gardens even though it was nap time and they were a bit grumpy.
They were also surprisingly patient while I snapped picture after picture of all of this brightly colored bliss!
ClematisDuring our exploration, Grant was all about the fountains. I would even go as far as to say he was a bit enamored with them.
Mostly because he was having fun throwing all of my change into them. He even found a lucky penny that he got to make a wish upon and toss into the water.I did NOT get even ONE good picture of the kids together! Either they wouldn't stand or sit by each other or they were making cheesy faces or the sun was too bright and they were squinting (some pics even had all of these things going on!)This one is not bad but Grandma and Grandpa need one that is up an down....argggggggggggg!This here is little Mae Mae's newest 'pose'. Nice, huh?!
We did spot this pretty fella in the tree above us. I think it is a peregrine falcon but not completely sure.
Russian SageOne of the sections of the gardens is the 'White Garden' I am usually one who LOVES color but there was something timeless and classy about this all white flower garden.
Hydrangea
I am also a huge Hollyhock fan...And I L-O-V-E me some lilies!
ClematisI spy...
...a Monarch butterfly!Goodbye!

i heart faces - 'Surprise!'

What do you get when you are in the car, on the way to a grad party, you have to stop off at the gas station so Daddy can pick something up, Mom is in the front (passengers) seat with her camera, everyone is getting bored waiting so Mom whips out the camera and says,
"Show me your happy face."
"Show me your sad face."
"Show me your grumpy face."
"Show me your silly face."
"Now show me your surprised face."?If you couldn't tell, this week's photo challenge theme over at i heart faces is 'Surprise!" I can't wait to see what everyone has in store this week. Make sure to head on over to www.iheartfaces.com to check out all of the other surprising entries!!!!